Lead Editor: Samantha
Community influences and the way they are controlled by a school system, families, and students are extremely prevalent when looking into an educational plan. The way a student interacts and is involved in their community ultimately influences their education and their view on their learning experience. It is important to identify the ways in which a student is influenced outside of the classroom by their community. Who is influencing the child, what activities are influencing the way they think, and how they are interpreting the importance of their education are all important questions to ask when it comes to how a community influences students. If a community and parents are actively involved with the school, teachers, and their children, they will be connected for the better. When a community is informed, rumors will not be passed around about education reforms or curriculum changes if parents are frequently updated on what happens in the school and the classroom. Public relations are necessary for effective communication to take place. Communication is necessary for a student to excel. In order for a student to excel he/she needs proper encouragement and community support/ guardian support. If a community is sticking together and can mutual understanding the way a system works, a student will ultimately benefit more than if everything was left to word of mouth and individual interpretation. Communication through flyers, technology, and direct interaction leaves nothing to free interpretation. When there is effective PR, nothing Is left to be decided or figured out, because a community or school system has already stated every fact they could. The community holds a huge responsibility in regards to the success of a student and his/her's education. If influenced and controlled correctly, a student will ultimately have a better learning experience and better understanding of what needs to be accomplished to be a better student.
II. Description of Your Priority for our RI Strategic Plan
Lead Editor: Melanie
The communication to parents and their involvement in their child's education is key in a child's success. Often times, news becomes altered when it travels by word of mouth and now many schools are changing their methods of communication in order to avoid these miscommunications. Previously teachers would send home notes in children's backpacks and frequently, the bottoms of those children's backpacks were where the notes would stay. Without the relay of messages parents and teachers may lose touch and this may impact the students learning experience. This is an issue not only in Rhode Island, but throughout the entire country. The solution to this problem is clear, teachers need to contact parents directly. Now when issues arise, parents can email or call teachers directly or even set up a meeting to sit down and talk with them. Although this is true, for issues concerning the whole school, the new fad is to use social media networks to contact families. The superintendent of the South Kingstown school district, Kristen Stringfellow, has a twitter account that she uses to tweet updates such new programs that are going on in the schools. Another form of communication is that between students and parents. Studies have shown that students whose parents inquire about their day at school are more likely to show academic success. Additionally when parents ask students to explain the homework to them it helps with the student's comprehension and further connects the parent to the learning process. If the members of the school communities across Rhode Island take up these suggestions they may see a positive correlation with parent involvement and student success.
IV. Research Summary
Lead Editor: Samantha and Melanie Include a paragraph that summarizes each team member's research on their particular research question. Melanie: My individual research question was "In what ways does a family and community impact a child's education?" This topic primarily focuses on the external factors of a child's education which play into the child's academic success. A child's parents are the most influential people in their life, so it is no wonder that the parents' interaction with their child plays a major role in increasing academic improvements. It has been found that the most effective methods for parental involvement in education were as simple as asking a child what they did at school that day or asking the child to explain what they have to do for homework each night. Additionally parents could enhance their child's learning experience outside of school by getting them involved in sports and other activities where children were able to spend time socializing with other children. Although this is true, children also need free time to be inventive and create their own games and activities. The activity that had the highest correlation with academic success was time spent when the parent played with the child because this showed the child that their parent cares and wants to be a part of their life. Overall, I found that when parents show their child that they love them and care about what they are learning, the child did academically better as a student. Samantha: My individual research question was "How do public relations in education negatively and positively affects students and their school?" My research primarily focused on the importance of effective communication between teachers and the community, parents and students, and teachers and parents. It is extremely important for a school system to have positive public relations in media on a large scale, but it is even more important for a school system to have the right type of communication with parents/guardians and the supporting community that keeps in touch with the system. Oftentimes, a school system's community gets lost in rumor and misunderstands new strategic concepts, but if the system has a positive and very up-to-date way of interacting and communicating with them, many of the nuances of miscommunication can be avoided. When a community is exposed to false information and rumor, they are subject to misunderstanding the workings of their child's education. This can all be avoided with thoughtful and intuitive communication between parents and the school system. I also researched what types of communication will benefit students. Does technology work better than direct contact, does direct contact work better than paper hand outs? I ended my research by looking at public communication in education on a national level. Using Diane Ravitch's novel, I learned the importance of reaching an audience with the full truth and hard facts. Ultimately I learned that positive communication allows for the children to have more positive community activity and influence in their school, instead of hearing negative rumors, or even worse, nothing at all about their school. When communication is positive in a community, the sense of togetherness benefits the students' education.
V. Group Product Overview
Samantha and Melanie
The presentation begins by asking the class how they think students and a community are influenced. The class will put in their opinions and we will discuss how students are influenced and how communication is important when influencing a community positively. Melanie will introduce her research topic of family involvement in education by first addressing the RIDE strategic plan. She will then discuss family relationships and how they affect child identity relating it back to the idea that parents are a child's biggest role models. Next she will present the U.S. Department of Education's Parent and Community involvement framework to show the solution ideas that the government has for the lack of family engagement in education. She will then present her own solutions for ways parents can be involved in their child's academic success. This is when she will present her activity which is a comparison of what children do after-school versus what they should do afterschool to enhance their learning experience and social skills. Finally she will conclude by sharing the after-school activities that are best for academic enhancement, the most important being parent-child communication. On that note she will conclude and pass the focus onto Sam's research topic. Sam will introduce her research project and talk about all the different ways communication affects a community: on a local level, national level, and the different interactions between teachers and parents and finally students and teachers. She will summarize why it is important and talk about RIPT requirements. This will be followed by a game of telephone. A positive message will be sent around and a negative message will be sent around. The end results will be discussed. Questions like, "how do you think positive information vs negative information travels?", to prove the point the rumors and false information is very easily spread. To wrap up she will discuss what should be implemented to make communication better in schools. Does the class think technology, direct interaction, or paper flyers have a better end result with a community. How do they think Twitter and FaceBook has influenced communication. Is it for the better or worse. We will then wrap up the presentation.
VIII. Group Reaction/Opinion(s) about the issues related to this priority.
Lead Editor: Samantha and Melanie
Communication and family involvement are both very important to a child's learning experience. When a conflict arises and blocks a student's academic path, it is very important for the teacher to communicate this to the parent or vise versa if the issue is at home. Using social media as a communication method is very effective in the technology based society we live in today. Once this communication take place parents can get involved and create an action plan where they work with their child to help them reach their full potential. Regardless of if an issue has come up parent teacher communication is necessary to keep a connection between home and school to enhance a students learning. Parents can ask children about what their learning at school and get a response, but if the teacher gives the parents a curriculum plan, the parent can ask more in depth questions about the lessons the child is learning. Keeping a strong parental engagement in education and communication with teachers are efficient ways to help students improve academically through a strong interconnected school-home system.
Media relations and public relations have a large impact on a child's education. It is very important for a community to be well informed about the education styles and workings of the system. When a community is more aware about the facts of the education system of their area, they can properly offer advice and concerns based off of true knowledge instead of off of rumor and misunderstandings. The more involved and knowledgeable a parent/guardian is about the happenings in their child's school, the more in touch they are as a whole. This ultimately betters the relationship between parent, teacher, and student. As a whole, they can be more actively involved in each other's work and success by having more frequent communication. Influencing a child is too a huge deal when it comes to the way they value their education. If a child is not influenced in manners that affect the way that they view their education, they lose out on the most important parts of education. They lose they meaning of going to school every day. When parents are involved through communication and they are actively influencing their child, the child ultimately benefits because they learn the value of their education as well as gaining a sense of positive togetherness in their community.
I. Description of Problem or Issue
Lead Editor: SamanthaCommunity influences and the way they are controlled by a school system, families, and students are extremely prevalent when looking into an educational plan. The way a student interacts and is involved in their community ultimately influences their education and their view on their learning experience. It is important to identify the ways in which a student is influenced outside of the classroom by their community. Who is influencing the child, what activities are influencing the way they think, and how they are interpreting the importance of their education are all important questions to ask when it comes to how a community influences students. If a community and parents are actively involved with the school, teachers, and their children, they will be connected for the better. When a community is informed, rumors will not be passed around about education reforms or curriculum changes if parents are frequently updated on what happens in the school and the classroom. Public relations are necessary for effective communication to take place. Communication is necessary for a student to excel. In order for a student to excel he/she needs proper encouragement and community support/ guardian support. If a community is sticking together and can mutual understanding the way a system works, a student will ultimately benefit more than if everything was left to word of mouth and individual interpretation. Communication through flyers, technology, and direct interaction leaves nothing to free interpretation. When there is effective PR, nothing Is left to be decided or figured out, because a community or school system has already stated every fact they could. The community holds a huge responsibility in regards to the success of a student and his/her's education. If influenced and controlled correctly, a student will ultimately have a better learning experience and better understanding of what needs to be accomplished to be a better student.
II. Description of Your Priority for our RI Strategic Plan
Lead Editor: MelanieThe communication to parents and their involvement in their child's education is key in a child's success. Often times, news becomes altered when it travels by word of mouth and now many schools are changing their methods of communication in order to avoid these miscommunications. Previously teachers would send home notes in children's backpacks and frequently, the bottoms of those children's backpacks were where the notes would stay. Without the relay of messages parents and teachers may lose touch and this may impact the students learning experience. This is an issue not only in Rhode Island, but throughout the entire country. The solution to this problem is clear, teachers need to contact parents directly. Now when issues arise, parents can email or call teachers directly or even set up a meeting to sit down and talk with them. Although this is true, for issues concerning the whole school, the new fad is to use social media networks to contact families. The superintendent of the South Kingstown school district, Kristen Stringfellow, has a twitter account that she uses to tweet updates such new programs that are going on in the schools. Another form of communication is that between students and parents. Studies have shown that students whose parents inquire about their day at school are more likely to show academic success. Additionally when parents ask students to explain the homework to them it helps with the student's comprehension and further connects the parent to the learning process. If the members of the school communities across Rhode Island take up these suggestions they may see a positive correlation with parent involvement and student success.
IV. Research Summary
Lead Editor: Samantha and MelanieInclude a paragraph that summarizes each team member's research on their particular research question.
Melanie: My individual research question was "In what ways does a family and community impact a child's education?" This topic primarily focuses on the external factors of a child's education which play into the child's academic success. A child's parents are the most influential people in their life, so it is no wonder that the parents' interaction with their child plays a major role in increasing academic improvements. It has been found that the most effective methods for parental involvement in education were as simple as asking a child what they did at school that day or asking the child to explain what they have to do for homework each night. Additionally parents could enhance their child's learning experience outside of school by getting them involved in sports and other activities where children were able to spend time socializing with other children. Although this is true, children also need free time to be inventive and create their own games and activities. The activity that had the highest correlation with academic success was time spent when the parent played with the child because this showed the child that their parent cares and wants to be a part of their life. Overall, I found that when parents show their child that they love them and care about what they are learning, the child did academically better as a student.
Samantha: My individual research question was "How do public relations in education negatively and positively affects students and their school?" My research primarily focused on the importance of effective communication between teachers and the community, parents and students, and teachers and parents. It is extremely important for a school system to have positive public relations in media on a large scale, but it is even more important for a school system to have the right type of communication with parents/guardians and the supporting community that keeps in touch with the system. Oftentimes, a school system's community gets lost in rumor and misunderstands new strategic concepts, but if the system has a positive and very up-to-date way of interacting and communicating with them, many of the nuances of miscommunication can be avoided. When a community is exposed to false information and rumor, they are subject to misunderstanding the workings of their child's education. This can all be avoided with thoughtful and intuitive communication between parents and the school system. I also researched what types of communication will benefit students. Does technology work better than direct contact, does direct contact work better than paper hand outs? I ended my research by looking at public communication in education on a national level. Using Diane Ravitch's novel, I learned the importance of reaching an audience with the full truth and hard facts. Ultimately I learned that positive communication allows for the children to have more positive community activity and influence in their school, instead of hearing negative rumors, or even worse, nothing at all about their school. When communication is positive in a community, the sense of togetherness benefits the students' education.
V. Group Product Overview
Samantha and MelanieThe presentation begins by asking the class how they think students and a community are influenced. The class will put in their opinions and we will discuss how students are influenced and how communication is important when influencing a community positively. Melanie will introduce her research topic of family involvement in education by first addressing the RIDE strategic plan. She will then discuss family relationships and how they affect child identity relating it back to the idea that parents are a child's biggest role models. Next she will present the U.S. Department of Education's Parent and Community involvement framework to show the solution ideas that the government has for the lack of family engagement in education. She will then present her own solutions for ways parents can be involved in their child's academic success. This is when she will present her activity which is a comparison of what children do after-school versus what they should do afterschool to enhance their learning experience and social skills. Finally she will conclude by sharing the after-school activities that are best for academic enhancement, the most important being parent-child communication. On that note she will conclude and pass the focus onto Sam's research topic. Sam will introduce her research project and talk about all the different ways communication affects a community: on a local level, national level, and the different interactions between teachers and parents and finally students and teachers. She will summarize why it is important and talk about RIPT requirements. This will be followed by a game of telephone. A positive message will be sent around and a negative message will be sent around. The end results will be discussed. Questions like, "how do you think positive information vs negative information travels?", to prove the point the rumors and false information is very easily spread. To wrap up she will discuss what should be implemented to make communication better in schools. Does the class think technology, direct interaction, or paper flyers have a better end result with a community. How do they think Twitter and FaceBook has influenced communication. Is it for the better or worse. We will then wrap up the presentation.
VI. Visual Representation
VII. Research Questions and Reference Summaries
Lead Editor: Samantha and MelanieVIII. Group Reaction/Opinion(s) about the issues related to this priority.
Lead Editor: Samantha and MelanieCommunication and family involvement are both very important to a child's learning experience. When a conflict arises and blocks a student's academic path, it is very important for the teacher to communicate this to the parent or vise versa if the issue is at home. Using social media as a communication method is very effective in the technology based society we live in today. Once this communication take place parents can get involved and create an action plan where they work with their child to help them reach their full potential. Regardless of if an issue has come up parent teacher communication is necessary to keep a connection between home and school to enhance a students learning. Parents can ask children about what their learning at school and get a response, but if the teacher gives the parents a curriculum plan, the parent can ask more in depth questions about the lessons the child is learning. Keeping a strong parental engagement in education and communication with teachers are efficient ways to help students improve academically through a strong interconnected school-home system.
Media relations and public relations have a large impact on a child's education. It is very important for a community to be well informed about the education styles and workings of the system. When a community is more aware about the facts of the education system of their area, they can properly offer advice and concerns based off of true knowledge instead of off of rumor and misunderstandings. The more involved and knowledgeable a parent/guardian is about the happenings in their child's school, the more in touch they are as a whole. This ultimately betters the relationship between parent, teacher, and student. As a whole, they can be more actively involved in each other's work and success by having more frequent communication. Influencing a child is too a huge deal when it comes to the way they value their education. If a child is not influenced in manners that affect the way that they view their education, they lose out on the most important parts of education. They lose they meaning of going to school every day. When parents are involved through communication and they are actively influencing their child, the child ultimately benefits because they learn the value of their education as well as gaining a sense of positive togetherness in their community.